DEMYSTIFYING the Art Grade.

I taught drawing and painting in a high school for eight years. When I started, there was no district curriculum guide to prepare me for the actual experience of teaching. Most subject area teachers had curriculum standards and textbooks that helped them get started. I had to draw upon my own educational experiences from college to prepare my lesson plans. I used resource books and gathered ideas from different sources. I found that most teachers were unwilling to share their successes. They guarded them like secret recipes.

The objective of my program was to teach students how to draw and paint in a year's course. The first semester was limited to exploring drawing techniques in various media. Each lesson was introduced with historical references and selected artists. I concentrated on the Baroque period and its emphasis on light and shade to bring out form.

I prepared study guides for technical information. Periodically, I tested the students. Since all subject areas were required to give midterms and finals, the periodic tests prepared students for exams. There was a written midterm based on what students learned in the first semester. The take-home final exam was a practical exam that measured applied skills. I gave students the requirements and allowed them approximately three months to complete the exam.

Ongoing Obstacles

I encouraged students to bring in the exam periodically, so I could see how it was going. The problem with this procedure was that some students still were not taking the final seriously. They thought that they could do the exam at the last moment.

I needed more structure in the instruction of exams. I began showing examples of work that was "whipped up" the night before and work that had been carefully planned over a longer period of time. I wanted the students to see that there was a difference to the discernible eye. I think that I made the point.

But I still had to remind the class that they should be setting aside time in their schedule to spend at least one hour weekly on the drawing exam. Well, there will always be students who don't heed your advice. That is the nature of students. So I had to redesign the exam to look more official.

There were two sides to the exam. On one side, the guidelines were listed. The assignment for first year art students varies. Generally, still life arrangements in pencil on a standard 12 x 18" (31 x 46 cm) sheet of paper is the assignment. There are six areas that must be included on the exam:

1. Composition--the subject should fill up 3/4 of the paper.

2. Value--there should be a range of seven values from black to white.

3. Details--they should be sharp and clear, demonstrating an awareness of structure and details.

4. Light source--the effect of the direction of a light source is evident by the use of forms that cast shadows.

5. Illusion of space is achieved with accents which set the still life in an environment.

6. Neatness--skill and handling of the media is evident. The paper is not smudged, ripped, or wrinkled.

Student Responsibility

On the back of the instructions for the exam is a checklist that allows the student to check his or her work in progress prior to submitting the exam on the due date. This form is attached to the final for grading. I go over the exam with the students. Everything listed had been taught and is familiar to the student. Seeing it in black and white puts the responsibility of the assignment on the students, and I can refer to class assignments that preceded the exam.

Grades are often challenged by parents and students who feel that we are too subjective in our evaluations. The criteria that is illustrated in this form clearly supports the validity of the drawing objectives. The structured assessments have been very helpful in supporting the goals and objectives of the program.

Frances Moore is an art instructor at Conackamack Middle School in Piscataway, New Jersey.